Warm Welcome
by SilverFalkin118
Summary: Kaito was adopted by the Tsukumos after living in the hospital for many years. Now he has to make a fresh late start with his new life, learning how to cope with his new family, new friends, school, bullies and his dangerous/deadly disease. AU fic
1. Prologue, Introducing

**I actually don't know what this is... I just created it because I decided to think about other things instead of focusing in class. Hah, bad girl, aren't I? Anyways, I hope you enjoy! And this is completely AU because of the many reasons that you will find out. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! ZeXal**

Prologue, Introducing

The boy sat there and watched the outside world. He wondered how it felt like to be outside, how it felt like to feel emotions... He stared as the people bellow walked along enjoying their days. He continued to sit there and watch until the sound of the sliding doors snapped him out of his thoughts. He turned to see a nurse smiling at him with the fake smile she will always showed him.

"Mr. Kaito Tenjo." she said with fake enthusiasm. "Two people would like to see you."

Visitors? Kaito never had visitors. He was stuck in the hospital for as long as he could remember. He doesn't know his family, he doesn't have any friends, he didn't even have any special talents. He stared at the nurse as if she was trying to trick him but she had that fake smile that annoyed him. He nodded and leaned back while the nurse left the room to retrieve the visitors. The doctors said that he had a dangerous disease and should make no contact with the outside world unless told to.

Two adults came into the room. A man with jet black hair with two magenta, claw-like structures of hair on the front, tan skin with bright eyes, and was wearing adventure/traveling clothes. The woman had long, straight, orange hair with bright eyes, and wore a light T-shirt with a white skirt. They smiled at Kaito but their smiles seemed... Real. They felt warm and comforting unlike the nurse's smile.

"Hi there." The woman said kindly. Her voice sounded beautiful. "You must be Kaito. I'm Mirai Tsukumo and this is my husband, Kazuma Tsukumo." She gestured to the man. "We heard you have a terrible disease. Can you tell us more about it?"

Kaito stared. He actually didn't know much about his sickness but told them everything that he knew. Something in the back of his mind told him that he should trust them. He didn't know why but it just seemed... Right.

"Interesting, interesting." Kazuma muttered as Kaito finished his sentence. "Unusual... Unusual..."

"Different... Very strange." Mirai whispered, nodding along.

The young teen sat there and stared. Was something the matter? Did he do something wrong? The adults looked at each other and smiled, turning back to Kaito with bright expressions. This only made the teen more confused.

"Kaito," Mirai started. "How would you like to have a family?" Kaito was too stunned to answer. That question took him completely off guard. "Kazuma and I talked this through when we were heading up to this room that maybe... We can take another child in. What do you say, Kaito?"

He couldn't find his voice so he simply nodded. He didn't know what else to do. A family! He never knew what it was like to be in a family, this was a perfect chance to find out! But wait, if he were to join this family... Doesn't that mean he would have to... Kaito looked out the window. This would give him the opportunity to go outside. Didn't the doctor tell him not to make contact with the outside world unless told to?

As if he read his mind, Kazuma said. "We talked with the doctor before this and he agreed to let you outside. He said it might be the time to go out."

They both stood and told Kaito that they filled out paper work before this, which made Kaito think that they would adopt him if he accepted it or not. When they asked Kaito if he had anything to wear, he shook his head. Mirai took some clothes out from a bag and handed it to Kaito, telling him that it was clothes from her other _adopted_ child.

When Kaito finished changing, they took the little things he had and left, filling out some papers of leaving the hospital. When the large, double sliding doors opened, Kaito felt a rush of cool air hit his face. His first thought that a large fan was blowing into his face but when it calmed down a bit, he saw that he was outside. He breathed in fresh air for the first time and it felt... Wonderful.

Kaito let a small smile spread on his lips. He felt... Amazing. As they turned the corner, he saw a car parked on the curb. Kazuma gestured Kaito to the back seat while he entered the drivers seat. Mirai sat in the passenger seat. They told Kaito that he should buckle the seat belt in and he did so, without any questions. It felt uncomfortable for the first few minutes but he grown used to it.

The two adults explained about their family. They had two children; Akari, who was the eldest, and Yuma, who was the youngest. After awhile, they decided to take in children who needed a home and had some kind of sickness to them. The first one they adopted was Astral. He was rescued from an abusive family and had mental illness. They told him that Astral showed no sense of emotion and his illness is somewhat controlled. They don't know why but Astral was very smart and is quite good at dueling. Kaito asked what dueling was but they said they will explain later. The next one that they adopted was Haruto. He was young boy who was rescued from an abandon house. What happened to his family was unknown but Haruto was very young back then so he had no memory of it. Kazuma's mother live with them also. They also added that they had a robot named Obomi that lived there too.

After the whole explanation, Kaito reasoned that nine people will live in the house after he joined, including Obomi the robot. He wondered how big the house would be if it fit this many people. His question was answered when the car stopped and Mirai spoke.

"Well, we're here! Welcome to your new home, Kaito."

The teen stepped out of the car and stared in awe at the large house loomed before him. It was quite big and looked beautiful from the outside. Kazuma smiled and gestured for him to follow. It was time to meet his new family members.

**Hah, what is this...? I don't know either. I just made this story but I have many other stories to work on so I might not update this one fast. It'll just update randomly when I feel like continuing. So yeah. Please review! **


	2. Chapter 1, That Night

**Whooped dee doo. I made a chapter for this story (and didn't work on my other story). I decided that I'm gonna put this story as one of the main stories that I'm working on since I'm kinda into the plot that my past self was trying to tell me. So, that's a good thing, right? Anyways, I'm sorry if any of the characters are OOC. I need to catch up on ZeXal. I'm pretty sure I'm a couple episodes behind. Oh well. Enjoy the chapter~**

**Disclaimer: I do not own ZeXal.**

Chapter 1, That Night

Yuma leaped out of his room and almost crashed into the opposite wall. He steadied himself then, not being careful, skipped down the stairs. The teen was filled with joy because that day his parents would bring home another kid. He heard that it was a male and he got super excited.

Astral looked up from his cereal and saw Yuma shaking with excitement. Haruto, who was sitting next to Astral also eating cereal, seemed to notice Yuma also. He looked up at Astral and smiled slightly then continued to eat. Astral continued to stare at Yuma who was now spilling milk over the counter.

"Hey, Yuma..." Astral started but Yuma seemed to exploded at the sound of his voice.

"ASTRAL! HARUTO! TODAY IS THE DAY!" He threw away the paper towels and beamed at the other two. "Mom and dad are bringing him home! What was his name again? Kite?" Before Astral could reply, Yuma continued. "I heard he was quiet and doesn't talk much but that's okay! We're getting another brother and I'm soooooooooooooo excited!" Yuma started jumping up and down while trying to make another bowl of cereal.

The younger teen decided to not tell Yuma that it wasn't worth all the excitement and energy for another person to join the family. The family was already big enough with a robot included. Obomi rolled into the room and took Astral's and Haruto's empty bowls and dropped them off at the sink.

"Yuma." Astral said as he stood. "Mom and dad won't be home until _after_ we come home from school." He walked into the living room area and grabbed his bag. "And besides, aren't we suppose to meet Kotori and Tetsuo before class starts? I don't want to be late." He turned his head slightly to look at Yuma. "Again."

Yuma gave up on his cereal and skipped after Astral, throwing an arm around his shoulders. "Astral~! Lighten up! You're always so emotionless. Come on! Even Haruto express more feelings than you!" The male ignored the other teens glare as he reached for his bag.

Akari entered the room and stared at the three boys. She sighed and grumbled under her breath as she entered the kitchen. "Why another boy? Why can't It be a girl this time...?"

"Well then!" Yuma said as he headed for the door. "Let's be on our way!"

"They're late!" Yuma groaned for the nth time that afternoon. "They said they'll be here an hour ago..."

"Be patient, Yuma." Kotori said as she started scribbling an answer on her homework. "Why don't you just do your homework _that is due tomorrow_ while we wait for them? Besides, weren't they late before?"

The teen sighed and walked over to the table to join his friends (and brothers) to do their homework. Kotori and Tetsuo decided to come over to meet the new member. The group started and finished their homework, chatted and talked about event and how the new person would be like.

It wasn't until almost seven in the evening when the sound of a door being opened was heard. Yuma was the first one to be out of his chair. The group peaked out of the door frame that connected the living room and the hallway to see who it was. Yuma was standing right in front of his parents the second he realized it was them.

"Where is he? Where is he? Where is he?" He said as he was bouncing up and down, trying to peak over his parents shoulders.

Mirai laughed along with her husband as she placed a hand on her son's shoulders. Kazuma smiled turned around to face the door, which was still open. Mirai lead Yuma and the others into the living room. As everyone seated, the children were shaking with excitement (except for Astral and Haruto).

"Alright, you have to be careful around him." was the first words that left Mirai's mouth. Everyone's expression turned from excitement to confusion. "We talked and we found out something that wasn't on his papers. He wasn't in an orphanage or anything but in a hospital instead. It was said that when he was younger, he had an accident that happened but it was unknown."

"So... Is he...?" Yuma started but never finished.

"No, but he's kind of like Astral." she nodded towards the blue haired teen. "He doesn't show much emotion but he speaks quiet softly. He's not much of a talker but he's a listener. He'll listen and he's quiet smart. But here's the thing. He has a disease that is not known. It was said that he wasn't allowed to touch the outside world until recently. Mr. Tsukumo is talking to him right now.

"But please don't push him. He's still learning about what it is like to have a family. And since we're on the topic of his family... His parents are dead. We don't know if he has any siblings but it was sure that his parents are gone. Their bodies were found a couple days later when they found him. It was quite strange actually... He was found quite far away from his parents."

Footsteps were heard and everyone faced the doorway. Kazuma's face poked into the room and smiled. He took a step in and looked behind him. No one was there. His smile faded slightly but was still there and took a step back. His hand reached over to the side and pulled him over lightly.

Kotori put her hands together, smiling. Tetsuo stared but then smiled. Yuma smiled widely and so did Haruto. Astral just stared at the other teen. The boy they saw was about Astral's height and age. He had blond hair that stretched up and pointed (like a deformed strawberry or flower bud or something) with green-ish hair that surrounded the "bud" and spiked up (like a leaf or really sharp objects or something). His gray eyes widen then was hidden underneath his flushed face. Nobody said anything for a long moment.

Kazuma and Mirai exchanged looks and nodded. Kazuma leaned down and whispered something to teen and he nodded. They both left towards the stairs. Mirai turned around and looked at the kids.

"Well... You met him, sort of." She smiled. 'What do you think of him so far?"

"We didn't exactly introduced, did we?" Yuma said. "But... he's different. I can feel it!"

Astral sighed. "You said the exact same thing to me when we met. And also to Haruto when he came. But I think he's different too." Astral looked towards the door frame. "He's different alright..."

"But... What happened to his parents is... Heart breaking." Kotori said as she looked down. Everyone agreed silently as they all looked down a bit.

Before another word was spoken, Haru appeared out of the kitchen. "Before we can get deep into conversation, let's have some dinner! We can chat there, can't we?" She smiled and disappeared into the kitchen again.

Mirai stood up and the children followed suit. "Yeah, we could get to know each other when we have dinner. Mr. Tsukumo is probably showing Kaito where his room is."

"Kaito..." Yuma whispered. "So that's his name." He looked over at Astral who looked back. "Well, this is gonna be fun."

**Another chapter completed (even though this is the second/first). I hoped you enjoyed it! Please review~ :)**


	3. Chapter 2, Dinner

**Yay. Chapter two of Warm Welcome! Well, I usually don't update this fast since the last time I updated was eight days ago and yeah. I sometimes don't update until months later so... Hi. I apologize in advance for any grammar mistakes and occ-ness. I scanned it real quick and I don't have a beta soooo... Yeah.**

**And answering Arlownay1991 question, since I'm making Kaito's, Astral's and Yuma's ages close together, their ages might be around 14-16. I imagine them two be around 15 but they could be younger or older. **

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! ZeXal**

Chapter 2, Dinner

Yuma helped set up the table with Kotori and Tetsuo while Astral and Haruto placed the food on the table. Everyone seated and waited. Yuma kept glancing at the doorway to see if his father or to see Kaito again. There was something about him that wanted to get closer to Kaito. It was a strange feeling but Yuma liked it.

Minutes ticked by and Yuma finally let out a groan. "Why aren't they here yet?" He whined and started to poke his rice with his chopstick.

Astral had his eyes closed and looked like he was in deep thought. Yuma poked Astral on the arm. The blue haired teen didn't move so Yuma kept poking him. It was until Astral sighed deeply when Yuma stopped. A pair of golden orbs appeared when Astral opened his eyes. He glanced at Yuma and then closed his eyes again. Yuma sighed heavily and turned to Kotori and Tetsuo.

"You guys... I'm booooored... And hungry."

Kotori gave Yuma a look. "We have to wait. We should at least make Kaito feel at home." She smiled when Yuma pouted. "Besides, I think I can hear footsteps now."

Sure enough, Kazuma appeared through the door frame, followed closely behind with Kaito. The teen gazed around the room but made no eye contact. The man bent down to whisper in the male's ear. Kaito just stared at the ground and said nothing.

Mirai smiled. "Hey Kaito. How about you sit over there next to Astral? You don't mind, do you?"

Astral shook his head.

Yuma watched Kaito hesitate but finally taking a seat next to the said teen. Astral whispered something to Kaito which made him look away. He was about to ask Astral what he said but his mother said it was time to eat. Yuma completely pushed away his thought and dug into his food.

Kaito just sat there and stared at the bowl of rice in front of his. His gray eyes wondered around the table, staring at the delicious food around him. Astral glanced side ways at Kaito. He wondered why the other teen wasn't eating and he looked down at his hands. The teen was then staring at the pair of chopsticks next to the bowl of rice. Astral then had an idea of why Kaito wasn't eating.

The blond felt a nudge on his arm and looked to the side to see Astral looking at him side ways. Astral glanced down then back up. Kaito followed his gaze and saw that Astral was looking down at chopsticks. He looked back at Astral while Astral took his chopsticks and took bits of rice and put it in his mouth. While he chewed, he looked at Kaito again. The blond stared at Astral but then got the idea. He grabbed his chopsticks and copied what Astral did. When he looked back at Astral, the other teen smiled. Astral reached out to take a bit of tofu. He ate the tofu and glanced at Kaito again. Astral watched as Kaito reached out and took a sliced mushroom. Kaito looked at Astral as he ate the mushroom while the blue haired teen smiled and continued his dinner.

Mirai and Kazuma smiled at Astral's action. Kaito continued to eat silently and slowly. Everyone was silent until Yuma spoke up.

"Hey Kaito." He started. Kaito flinched slightly at the sound of his name so suddenly but looked over at Yuma. "Since you're officially living here, that makes you a Tsukumo, right?" Yuma grinned when Kaito stared blankly. "That means you're our brother, right Astral?"

Said teen nodded. "It does mean that."

Kaito stopped eating, stopped chewing, and thought. If he had brothers... That meant those two, that woman and man who took him away from the hospital, are his parents... If he had siblings and parents, that meant. His eyes widen suddenly. Family. He thought about it when he got adopted but it felt so surreal. Now, reality whacked him in the head. These people around him was his family.

"How about we introduce each other?" Kazuma said, grinning. "A late start but better later than never, right Yuma?"

"Yeah!" Yuma grinned over to Kaito. "I'm Yuma and my motto is to Kattobing!"

"My name is Kotori. I'm Yuma's, Astral's and Haruto's friend. We go to school together." Was what the green haired teen said.

"I'm Tetsuo and I'm also friends with these guys. We have most of the same classes."

"I'm Astral, as you might have already know. I was adopted a couple years ago." Astral leaned sideways to whisper in Kaito's ear. "Just to let you know, Yuma is always taking challenges so if he does anything stupid, it's normal."

Kaito felt a tug on his sleeve and he looked over to his other side. He saw a young pale blue haired boy. "My name is Haruto and I was adopted a year ago. " He smiled. "That means you're my older brother." A warm feeling filled Kaito as he looked down at the boy. Something was tugging at the back of his mind but he doesn't know what so he decided to brush it away.

"Hello there, sweetie. I'm Haru, Yuma's grandmother and now yours too." She smiled kindly.

"I'm Akari and your older sister. I'm a reporter and I work hard to do my job so..." She smiled slightly. "Try not to bug me when I'm working."

Yuma leaned in and whispered a little too loudly. "Yeah, she turns into the devil if you disturb her. She might smash you against the wall and yell in your ear if you do."

"Hey!" Akari's face turned a light shade of red. "I'm not like that! I will get mad but I'm not mean."

Yuma pouted. "You sure about that sis? I remember that one time where you..."

"Hey! It wasn't my fault you were there!"

"But you did it, didn't you?"

"That would be enough." Kazuma interjected and smiled kindly at Kaito. "Those two are always having a brawl."

The blond nodded and looked around at all the smiling faces. He tried to smile but it didn't work so he looked down. When he tried to talk, it came out in a soft whisper. "I'm Kaito..." and he stopped right after that.

Silence filled the room until Obomi rolled in. "Kaito, Kaito." It beeped.

Kaito stared with a bewilder expression. He stared at the robot for a moment until two arms appeared and reached out to grab Kaito's wrist. He opened his mouth to protest but no words came. The robot kept repeating his name then stopped suddenly. It took the ribbon from one side of it's green protrusions and tied it around Kaito's wrist.

The blond stared blankly at the robot as it rolled over to Kotori and took her ribbon. Kotori gasped but then chuckled. "Oh, I think Obomi likes you, Kaito!"

Kaito looked down at his wrist with the pink ribbon. When he looked up, he found Obomi calling Yuma names and Yuma retorting that he wasn't an idiot. He turned around and found Haruto smiling at him with Astral right next to him.

"Hey Kaito, wanna see something cool?" Astral asked.

The other didn't know what to do but followed the other two. They walked out of the dining room, through the living room, into the hallway and up the stairs. Astral walked down the hall and turned to the third room on the right. He opened the door and walked in. Haruto walked in and Kaito joined without hesitation.

Inside, the room wasn't too big yet it wasn't too small either. The walls were a pale green color. A table the size of a door was placed at the center of the room with two chairs side by side and one in the corner. There were screws, bolts and nails scattered around the table. Batteries and wheels were here and there along with many other robotic parts. There was a large metal object at the center of the table.

"You see that, Kaito?" Astral pointed at the chunk of metal. "Haruto and I are building a robot but Yuma doesn't want to join. He has been spending a bunch of time with Kotori lately. And between you and me, I bet Yuma has a something something with Kotori, if you know what I mean." Astral smiled and walked over to the table.

Haruto tugged on Kaito's sleeve. "Come on, Nii-san." Haruto said which made Kaito swell up in warmth.

Kaito followed Haruto to the table. The young boy pulled over the chair in the corner and set it next to Kaito and sat. Astral sat on the other side of Kaito which meant that Kaito's seat was in the middle. He sat and looked between Astral and Haruto. Astral gave Kaito a warm smile and so did Haruto. The teen looked at the robot so far and smiled. He already felt very much at home.

**Weee. Thank you for reading chapter! I think it made little to no sense at that last part since I have no clue about robots and technology since I'm lame just like that. Sooooo. Please review and tell me what you think! **


	4. Chapter 3, Evening

**Fast Update! I just got so many lovely reviewers! I love you all and thank you for reviewing! Just reading them made me want to continue the story! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Well, I actually tried to get going with the plot so here it is! I actually quite liked this chapter. Anyways, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! ZeXal**

Chapter 3, Evening

_It was dark and the whole room was a mess. Pain shot through his whole body but what happened? The boy sat up and looked around. There were no lights or any sign of the outside. Was it morning? Was it evening? Where was he? Wait a moment... Who was he?_

_The boy sat up and looked around. It looked like the dining room or kitchen. The table was knocked over, a cabinet was on it's side with broken glass pieces scattered around it, utensils were everywhere and there was no way out. He looked around but couldn't find the door under all the rubble. _

_He tried to stand but pain shot through him again and he fell back to the ground. He looked down at himself and could barely see the blood stains on his clothes. His clothes were ripped and torn. He tried to remember but nothing came back. He crawled around, or at least tried to. _

_He got as far as a foot before he had to stop, gasping and panting. His feet seemed to be paralyzed and he could barely move them. It felt numb. He tried standing again. He stood and swayed dangerously. He fell over but caught on to one of the kitchen counters. He gasped and tried to catch his breath. He pulled himself around the room, pushing objects out of his way. _

_Sudden pain seared through his chest which caused him to fall to his knees. Beads of sweat rolled down his face. One arm was on the counter while the other was clenching his chest. He was filled with fear. Thumping was heard behind the walls. He didn't know which direction it came from but he knew it was getting closer. _

_A pile of rubble burst and filled the room with light. A man in a bright jumpsuit wearing a mask appeared. He was holding a flashlight and was heading towards him. The boy scooted as far as he could until he heard a voice. A man's voice._

"_Don't worry, sonny. We're here to help you." _

_The boy sat there and stared up at the man. He stopped moving and allowed the man to come near. He bent down._

"_Can you stand?"_

_The boy tried to stand but immediately fell back down. He gasped. However, before he hit the ground, he landed on something softer. Or _someone. _He looked up to see the man but he could see through the mask. He saw blue. Blue..._

Kaito's eyes shot open and he looked around. He was lying on the bed. Where was he? He sat up and looked around. The room was a decent size with a bed, a desk and a chair. A closed door that lead out into the hallway while a slightly ajar door lead to the closet. His window showed the bright moon shining over head.

The teen got off the bed and slowly walked over to his desk. He sat down on the chair and looked out the window. Was that a dream? A memory? He barely remembered that night. He covered his face with hands and thought. Everything was blurry. He tried to think as far as he could. Trying to search for his past. But he could only remember as far as the day he woke up at the hospital.

He opened his eyes and found himself panting. He looked up and back out the window. He was adopted. He has a family now. Brothers, a sister, parents... He turned to glance at the clock. It was one in the morning. He stood and walked over to the closed door. He opened it and stepped into the hallway.

The whole house was silent. Kaito walked down the dark hallway and down the stairs. He stepped into the living room and found another person there. Astral was leaning against the wall next to the window, holding a mug. His eyes were closed and his arms were crossed. Kaito stood near the door frame about to turn and leave until...

"Why are you still up, Kaito?"

Said teen froze and stared. He didn't speak but just stood there. He didn't see Astral open his eyes at all. How did he know that it was him but not someone else? Silence...

"Well? Couldn't sleep?"

Astral's eyes remained closed but Kaito knew that he wanted to be answered. He opened his mouth but nothing. He couldn't speak. Something was tugging at the back of his mind. He closed his eyes and everything blank. He heard a voice... He saw something...

"_Nii-san! Nii-san!"_

It was a little boy. Who was this boy?

"_Nii-san! Look what I found, Nii-san!"_

Everything blanked. He couldn't see a thing but he heard his voice. A voice that he haven't heard in years. It was... Calm, light, happy...

"_That's great, ototo. Wow. It's pretty."_

"_Yeah! There's more over there. Come on, Nii-san! I want to show you it!"_

He felt light when he heard that voice. He felt happy. He wanted to feel like that forever but an ear piercing scream filled his mind. He covered his ears but it didn't get any quieter. He couldn't recognize the voice. Was it a male or a female? His brain pound against his skull and he sank to his knees.

"_NII-SAN! HELP!"_

The voice was the boy's again but this time it sounded scared. It sounded like the boy was crying. He could hear someone struggling, someone trying to get away. Was the boy in trouble? What was happening?

"_OTOTO!"_

A thump. He heard something get knocked over. More screaming and a door slammed shut. Evil laughter was now heard. He suddenly felt a stabbing pain at his side and his shirt was getting soaked with a sticky liquid. He didn't cry out but he bent down in pain. He could feel tears swelling up.

"Hey, are you alright?"

Kaito looked up. He saw Astral, eyes now open, right in front of him. He looked concerned with a hand on his shoulder. Kaito looked down and saw that he was uninjured. He hesitated but nodded slightly. Astral didn't look convinced but accepted it.

"Here, let's talk." He helped Kaito up and towards the sofa. "Sit."

The teen obeyed and sat. Astral watched then seated himself next to Kaito.

"Well, I know something is wrong, Kaito. But you don't have to tell me now. I know you're in pain." Astral looked straight ahead. "I know how you feel, maybe. I felt pain before too." He leaned back and looked at Kaito, who was curious. "I lived in an abusive family, if that is what you're wondering."

Kaito gasped and looked down. _Abusive...?_

"It's nothing for you to worry about, though." Astral gave Kaito a small smile. "It's apart of the past. This is the present. I met Yuma and he taught me a thing or two."

The other teen looked at Astral.

"When I came here, I talked to no one and let no one near me. I wonder how they even got me here." Astral closed his eyes again. "But then I met Yuma. He was always so happy and super talkative. He wouldn't stop talking and it annoyed me so much. I thought he was just another obnoxious kid who tried to ruin my life even further.

"Turns out that Yuma just wanted to get to know me. He said that I was an 'interesting' person. When I actually listened to what he had to say, I realized that he was talking about being friends and how it would be like if we were closer and whatnot."

A smile crept on Astral's face. He looked peaceful with his eyes closed just sitting there, thinking about his first time here at the Tsukumo's. Maybe that would him In the future, Kaito thought. He leaned back and closed his eyes.

"So..." Astral continued after awhile. "I decided to get to know him. That had to be the best decision I ever made in my life. I actually opened up a bit. I was happy to open up and it was all because of Yuma."

Kaito's eyes were open and watched Astral. He could feel Astral's joy and warmth in him. He looked down at his lap. He smiled. He felt a shift on his side and looked over at Astral who was then standing. Astral stretched and turned to face Kaito.

"Well, it's late. I'm gonna go ahead and go to bed." He smiled at Kaito, taking a sip out of his mug and made a slightly disgusted look. "It's cold." He walked into the kitchen and stepped out without a mug. "See you in the morning, Kaito." And with that, he disappeared through the door way.

The teen stared at the door frame for awhile and then closed his eyes. He smiled at what Astral said earlier and decided that he actually enjoyed his company. He decided that he really liked Astral and thought he was a good person.

"_I'm glad you're here, Nii-san."_

He listened. He waited.

"_You make me feel better. I always feel safe around you."_

The voice sounded familiar. He felt like he heard it from somewhere. But at that very moment, it didn't matter.

"_You're the best! I love you, Nii-san!"_

He stood and walked back to his room. He felt better. Much better. This was probably the best he ever felt in a long, long time.

**Ha! How did you like it? The ending was a bit meh but oh well. You probably might guess what's going to happen and stuff but oh well. Pretend you don't. I'm just kidding! Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed and please review!**


	5. Chapter 4, Remember?

**Hey! I decided to make another chapter for this but I don't think it's that good. It's not one of the best ones I've written but it's supposed to be a slightly important chapter. Okay, the ending is but still. Hope you enjoy though!**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh! ZeXal**

Chapter 4, Remember?

A groan escaped his lips when the morning light shined over his face. Kaito slowly opened his eyes as he sat up. He had a peaceful sleep after that conversation with Astral. He finally slept on a real bed instead of the hospital one so he felt a lot better. He stretched and got out of bed. He dressed, made his bed and walked out the door.

It was a Saturday morning so that meant no school. No school means that Yuma gets to sleep in. If Yuma gets to sleep in, you won't see him until a very late time.

Kaito remembered Astral saying that yesterday when they were building the robot. He entered the living room and saw Astral and Haruto watching morning cartoons. Well, Haruto was watching them while Astral was reading a book.

"Good morning, Kaito." Astral said without looking up.

"Good morning, Nii-san!" Haruto said happily.

The teen paused. The way Haruto said 'Nii-san' sounded so familiar to him. He brushed it off and walked over to the couch and sat on the other side of Haruto. He looked up at the television where he saw two cats, a pink one and a purple one, contemplating what was the best plan to catch the mouse, which was blue. Of course, the mouse would out smart the cats and scamper off.

Akari poked her head into the room. "Hey, have you guys seen mom and dad?" The three boys shook their heads and she sighed. "Is Yuma still asleep, then?"

"Most likely." Astral replied. "It is Saturday. He usually sleeps in."

But right when Astral finished, Yuma burst into the living room, looking lively like usual. "Good morning everyone!" he greeted then landed his eyes on Kaito. "Hey Kaito! Since it's a Saturday and I usually sleep in but... Why not we spend the day to get to know each other? Great idea, right Astral?"

Said teen stared a moment then sighed. "You know, Yuma. That's what we planned but we decided on letting you sleep in and start the day then. But since you're up, might as well. Is Kotori and Tetsuo informed about this?"

Yuma grinned proudly. "I called them a couple minutes ago about it!"

Haruto looked over at Yuma. "Where are we going today?" he asked sweetly.

"That," Yuma started. "is what we're about to plan when we see Kotori and Tetsuo."

Astral closed the book and looked over at Kaito who didn't say anything. "Well, come on. We're gonna go have 'fun' and whatever Yuma plans." He leaned over so only Kaito and Haruto could hear. "And whatever he plans, I hope it wasn't the same thing he planned when Haruto came. That was a disaster."

Haruto laughed when Astral spoke his words. Kaito made a slightly confused expression and Astral told him that he would explain later. Yuma ushered them out the door and said their good byes to Haru and Akari. They walked to the Heartland mall and made many small talk.

"... Then it exploded!" Yuma said excitedly while they were waiting to cross the street.

The boy giggled while the blue haired teen gave a sigh. Kaito watched Yuma as he talked. He was amused on how energetic and talkative he was but he didn't know how to express himself so he remained having a blank expression, which didn't help much because Yuma started to complain.

"Come on, Kite! You aren't smiling or laughing at any of these moments and jokes. Is there anything that makes you laugh at all?" Yuma smiled when Kaito just stared. "It's alright if I call you Kite, right? I find it fitting for you!"

"Yuma..." Astral said. "You know that Kite translated in English is an object that is made with thin material that is used for being flown in the wind, right? We learned it in English." Astral sighed when Yuma blushed and rub the back of his head. "But if we don't consider the meaning, I must agree. Kite is a fitting name since it closely resembles Kaito."

Yuma's face brightens at that. "See! That can be your nickname!" Yuma said with strong enthusiasm.

Kaito thought about it. Kite... And a nickname. He never got one of those before. Well, sort of. The nurse at the hospital got tired of calling him Kaito and called him Kai-Kai. He shook that off and started to think again. He actually kind of like the name Kite. He found it comforting and nice. It did seem quite... Fitting.

"Hey! Kaito!" Kaito snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Yuma. "We can call you Kai, too, right? It's just like your name already but removing the 'to' part!" Yuma smiled. "There's a bunch of nicknames that we can make for you!" And Yuma started listing all the possible names for Kaito.

By the time they reached the mall, Yuma created a long list of names for Kaito, even if they were quite unusual and doesn't fit at all. Astral seemed to just remain to call him 'Kaito' while Yuma kept switching his name from 'Kite' to 'Kai' to 'Kaito'. Haruto just giggled and held onto Kaito's hand.

The teen felt warmth while holding the younger's hand. It felt just like the way it was when he first saw Haruto and when he listened to him talk. He felt like he knew him. He heard him. He...

"_Nii-san!" _

Kaito stopped. Who said that?

"_Nii-san! Where are you?"_

He looked around. Everything seemed to dissolve around him. He turned and swirled but everywhere around him started to black out. The warmth slowly disappearing. Soon he was just standing in a world of darkness.

"_Your brother left you..."_

Kaito stopped moving. That voice... It sounded cold and distant. He felt like he heard it before. Where did he hear that voice? He thought back. He concentrated hard. His brain started to hurt and he was getting a bit queasy. Something flickered in front of him and he squinted to see.

It was a fireplace. The flames burned brightly but he couldn't feel it. He felt nothing. As he turned around, he realized that he was in a cabin. It was only one room with a twin sized bed in the corner, a table near a small window with three chairs and a stool, a shorter table at another corner and a couple drawers and cabinets to store things.

He walked over to the window and looked. It looked like the cabin was on a hill and the ground was covered with a beautiful glistening blanket of white. It was evening with the stars shining about. He walked over to the chairs and was about to pull one out to sit when the door suddenly opened. He turned quickly around and gasped.

There stood himself but much younger and next to him was a little boy. Kaito watched as his other self took off his coat and scarf while he bent down to help the other boy to take off his coat. But what he saw was what he didn't expect.

**Yay. Cliffhanger. I might not be uploading for awhile because I have tests and exams coming up but I'll try to get back on this when I have the chance. Hoped you like it and please review!**


	6. Chapter 5, Panic

**Ah ha ha... I still ****have exams coming up but I have a short break (like... A week) so I decided to write this. It's okay but at least I'm posting something, right? Right. Anyways, enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! ZeXal**

Chapter 5, Panic

"Excuse us, coming through. Please step to the side."

There was panic in the air as paramedics rushed in to the unconscious boy. Two teens were quickly explaining what happened while a young boy was in tears. They tested blood pressure and heart beat. The teen started shaking and clenched onto the nearest paramedic's uniform. A gurney was quickly pulled in and laid the boy on it. By then, the boy was gasping for breath and tears were running down his cheeks.

As the paramedics hurried back to the ambulance with the teen, the other three males quickly followed. Their two other friends managed to find them in time and were running beside them. As they made it outside, the ambulance were getting ready to leave.

Yuma pulled out his cell and called his sister. He frantically explained and told her to hurry and pick her up. He also called his parents and explained. In a matter of minutes, which felt like hours, Akari was there in her red vehicle with Haru in the passenger seat. The four kids climbed into the back while Haruto sat on Astral's lap.

They speed down the road to the hospital. No one said a word all the way there. As Akari barely stopped the engine, Yuma leaped out of the car. Astral carried Haruto on his shoulders and hurried after Yuma. Kotori and Tetsuo were next with Akari and Haru right behind them.

As the last of the group entered the hospital, Yuma at the front desk. The woman behind the desk kept telling him that he had to wait. It took awhile, but Yuma finally sat down on one of the chairs in the waiting room. He was anxious and so was everyone else. Haruto was clutching onto Astral's shirt while Astral was whispering comforting words to the boy.

Yuma was staring at the clock and was cursing under his breath when it passed by so slowly.

* * *

><p>Was he seeing correctly? He saw his past self and next to him was... Haruto.<p>

"_Mom and dad will be here soon, alright?"_

His voice... It sounded calm and warm. He watched himself ruffle the boy's hair. Haruto looked quite young. Possibly around four or five, maybe even younger.

"_Did you have a fun time, Haruto?"_

"_Yeah!"_

The two laughed and he lead Haruto to the bed at the corner. He tucked the younger in and watched him sleep. Kaito stared as his past self slowly drifted to sleep on the chair. The sound of the door opening snapped him out of his thoughts. He turned to see a man and a woman. He gasped when he saw that the man look quite a lot like him and the woman looked a lot like Haruto but with longer hair. The only difference was the eye color. He had the woman's eyes while Haruto had the father's.

Were they... His parents?

"_Look, they're asleep..."_

The man nodded to the woman's statement.

"_Way too young... Too young to understand."_

"_I hope they will..."_

Everything around him started to get foggy. Panic filled him. He wanted to know more, he wanted to find out about this past. He reached out but when he did, everything shattered like glass smashing on a glass tile flooring. His surroundings changed and he was in a dark area.

He heard shouts and screams behind him and he quickly turned. He saw himself quickly pulling Haruto somewhere else.

"_Where is mama and papa?" _the boy asked with tears.

"_They told us to go here, Haruto. Shhh..."_

The two ran right through him and turned the corner. Then he heard gun shots and a woman's scream. He walked down the path where his past self came from. As he peaked into the room, he felt sick. Two masked men held guns. The man, his father, was on the ground, unmoving. He didn't know if he was dead or not but he didn't want to know. The woman was crying and blood covered her shoulders and mouth.

"_Where are they?" _one of the men asked.

"_I won't tell you." _she said even though her eyes showed fear.

The other man held up his gun. His voiced sounded like he was smiling. _"Well, you will have the same fate as this man." _

A gun shot and woman's shirt was starting to soak up with more blood.

He couldn't bare to watch anymore. He backed out and sprinted down the hallway. He couldn't breathe. He was gasping for breath. As he round the corner, he heard noises in a near by room.

"_There you two are." _

The voice didn't sound like the other two masked men. He wanted to enter the room but how? Right, he was just in a memory... He walked through the door and shivered. It felt weird to do that. When he finally looked up and his eyes widen.

"_You can't take him!" _he watched himself protecting the younger. _"Do what ever you want to me but you can't hurt him!"_

The two other men chuckled.

"_How sweet..."_ the first said.

"_He thinks he can protect him..."_

Bullets speed towards the boy but he pushed the younger and himself out of the way. Kaito stared as his past self tried so hard to protect the younger. However, he felt that it was all so futile. The men gave up on bullets and went to trying to catch them. They knocked over and destroyed everything. The boys tried the door but it didn't seem to open.

Haruto tripped and Kaito turned and blocked Haruto from the other two.

"_We got you two now."_ The two men said.

The men forced the two brothers away from each other.

"_NII-SAN! HELP!"_

Wait... This sounded familiar...

"_OTOTO!"_

This was awfully familiar.

His surroundings darkened but he barely noticed. He was thinking. His mind was full of thoughts that he didn't know what was real. He closed his eyes and thought. When he opened it again, he was staring straight up at the all to familiar pure white ceiling.

**ARG... I don't know what I wrote but I hoped you enjoyed it anyways. Please review! And my apologize if there are any grammar mistakes or errors in general.**


	7. Chapter 6, Recognize

**WOOT. Another chapter! I would have written this earlier but my teachers decided to pile me with homework. Yay... But today I have no homework so I thought "why not make another chapter?" So here it is! You don't know how many times I actually tried to start this. Maybe 57. Possible 63. No more than 78 though. Anyways, enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! ZeXal**

Chapter 6, Recognize

Yuma burst through the door with everyone else behind him. He scanned the room quickly and found Kaito sitting on the hospital bed. His eyes had a distant look to them as if in deep thought. He was staring down at his lap where his palms were facing up.

"Kaito...?"

Said teen snapped out of his thoughts and looked up. He stared at the group for a minute then looked out the window. He stared for a moment then looked back down. Yuma frowned and walked over.

"Is there... Something wrong, Kaito? I mean, what happened back there?"

"Excuse me..."

Everyone turned around and came face to face with the doctor. He had short green hair and orange red spiked glasses with a white coat on. Right behind him was Yuma's parents, breathing hard as if they sprinted a mile. The doctor was the same doctor that helped Kaito when he was at the hospital.

"I expected this would happen." the doctor said and scribbled something on his clipboard. "Everyone here knows that he has an unknown disease, right?" Everyone nodded. "Good. Well, we researched a bit more on his disease and it's... different. This disease triggers memories. Painful memories from a person's past even if they were a peaceful memory.

"What this does is that it makes one relive that memory but instead of just going through their own thoughts, they can explore and find out what happened during those times. It might last for a short amount of time, it might last a long amount of time... One thing's for sure, as they relive the memory, the 'virus' would start eating away his brain and slowly destroying his mind.

"While in the memory, the body on the person who has the disease would do... Strange things. Like having a seizure or, what Kaito had done, collapse and gasped for breath. Since the virus is destroying the brain, it will break the nerves and unexpected things will happen. When the virus eats too much, however..."

He paused. His face showed as if he was struggling to suppress a grin.

"The holder of the disease will... Die."

Everyone was in shock but Kaito seemed to expect it. He looked up at the doctor with a blank expression. His true feeling was of complete loathing. He hated the doctor with all his heart. He hated how the doctor freely talked about him, freely said untrue words of comfort, freely said anything at all.

A flash of blue flashed across his mind. His mind started drifting away from everything around him. He close his eyes. Everything seemed to disappear. He didn't even hear a scream from the real world.

…

_Kaito was holding Haruto's hand as they walked towards a river. He and his family lived in a grassy plain area with a small steam a couple yards away. It was a peaceful place to relax and play. _

_Haruto let go of Kaito's hand and started jogging slightly to the river. Kaito watched as Haruto kneel down to look into the water. The boy was smiling happily and reached into the water. As Kaito made his way next to his brother, there was a loud _splash_ and water sprang up and everywhere._

"_Fish!" Haruto giggled._

_The young teen smiled and got a glimpse of a fish swimming away. He sat down next to his brother and they were playing with the water and fish. The sun shined quite brightly that day. A small breeze brushed against the skin of the brothers._

"_Hello there."_

_Both brothers look up and saw a man. He was quite tall with long silver hair. Blue eyes greeted gray and gold. Haruto stared at the man, smiling slightly, while Kaito responded with a short "hello."_

"_You two boys seem to have fun here. What are you doing?"_

_Haruto happily responded with; "We're playing fish!"_

"_Well, with fish." Kaito corrected._

_The man looked in the river and back the brothers. "Where are your parents?"_

_Kaito didn't respond right away. He stared at the man with curiosity. Who was he and why was he here? He didn't want to respond but he didn't want to be rude. It was his parents rule. Always be kind to other people even if you don't know who they are. After a moment of hesitation, he quickly responded with;_

"_They aren't home."_

"_Oh? Where are they?"_

_The teen gave the man a slight glare. "Why do you want to know?"_

_He smiled. "I just wanted to know why you two are here by yourselves. It really has been quite dangerous here. I was watching the news and found out a group of murder's were around this area. You two should get going."_

_Kaito stood and Haruto stood also. The boy grabbed his older brother's hand. Kaito nodded and quickly thanked the man. He turned and lead the boy back to the little house. He peaked over his shoulder to find the man gone, as if he was never there. _

…

Kaito opened his eyes. The room was dark and he was on the ground. He stood up and looked around him. There were no windows nor a door. The room was quite empty but there was a chair. He stared at it for a moment then looked away. Where was he?

There was a distant noise. He tried to follow it but the wall blocked him. He put his ear against the wall and tried to listen. It sounded like a person trying to call out to someone. There was a moment of silence and Kaito was about to walk away from the wall but the noise came back. It was louder this time. At least it was audible now.

"... Kaito! Kaito!"

It sounded like Yuma and Haruto.

"He must have seen another memory. That's the only reason why he would run off like that."

He paused. He didn't have time to hate the doctor's voice. The only thing that went through his mind was his actions. What did he do? He ran off?

"But 'where to' is the question..."

Kotori...

He wanted to bang on the wall so they would hear where he was. Or at least he hoped. He only managed one bang until someone grabbed his shoulder. He froze. He didn't notice the whispers beyond the wall. He felt hot breath against his neck and his heart started to pound so fast when he heard the voice.

"I finally found you at last..."

**Another cliffhanger! I was gonna continue writing but then I didn't feel up to it. Some of you might be wondering "where does the school and bullies thing come in?" or "it's only been two days! How can all this happen?" or whatever. The school thing will come in soon enough (maybe) and the two days thing... I don't know. Imagination! -makes rainbow appear- **

**I also discribed more characters in this chapter. Can you guess who they are? I think I made it a bit obvious but we all love these guessing games! So yeah.**

**This might be the last time I update before my exams but who knows? I might write another chapter right after I post or I might make another one tomorrow. Just to let you know. And apologize if there are any mistakes. So I hope you enjoyed the chapter and please review! **


	8. Chapter 7, Discovery

**So, hi. I decided to rewrite this chapter (special thanks to Arlownay1991 for their words of encouragement, thank you lots!). I kinda changed the plot too because of reasons. I actually liked how this chapter came out. Weird, huh? Anyways, enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! ZeXal**

Chapter 7, Discovery

Kaito whirled around to come face to face with...

"Sup, Kaito. It's been awhile, hasn't it?"

A teen with dark red and yellow spiky hair, scarlet eyes and a smirk, stood before him. Next to him was a smiling, pink haired, green eyed boy. Kaito was speechless but let out a soft whisper.

"... IV? III?"

IV grinned. "Say, you remember us! It was quite an entrance you made there. Scare the heck out of myself and III." He pointed to the vent above them. "You came out of there somehow. I had to say, you were acting quite strange." IV stepped a bit closer to Kaito, his smile disappearing slightly. "You didn't seem to see us when you came here. Is something the matter?"

Kaito stared at IV. "What are you doing here?"

"Us?" the teen looked down at his younger brother. "You see this?" He pointed to a bandage covering his right eye. "I got into an accident. Big brother V left to go to work or something so III was here with me. But then the nurses got annoying and we somehow got here again, right III?"

The boy nodded.

The other teen sighed. "V left, huh?"

"Yup." IV sat down on the ground. "You still didn't answer my question. Is there something the matter? Is there a reason why you were here?"

Kaito followed IV's lead and sat down as well. III skipped over to Kaito and sat next to him.

"You know... When we met...? You remember Haruto, right?"

"'Course I do!" IV frowned. "Is something wrong with Haruto?"

"No, no, no. It's actually me, you see?" The two brothers stared at him. "Yeah. Apparently I have this deadly disease. It triggers memories and whatever. I actually can't remember much of anything until recently."

He felt something hug his arm. He looked down to see III. "Ne, Kaito-kun... I don't want to see you die."

III reminded him a lot of Haruto. He pet the younger's hair and looked at IV. "How did you get in here?"

IV smiled. "Well, we went through that." He pointed to the wall where there was a little entrance that Kaito hadn't notice before. "We sneaked in here when we were bored yesterday. It's actually a pretty cool place. I don't know how to actually get stuff in here so we can actually do something but it's nice to just hang out and whatever."

After a while of talking, Kaito suddenly remembered his friends behind the wall. He stood up and walked over to the wall and listened. Nobody was there any more. He sighed and walked back to the brothers.

"What's up?"

Kaito shook his head. "Here, I have to tell you something."

The teen proceeded to explain about what happened from when he got in the hospital after his parents were murdered til when he got into the hospital after the little accident at the mall. IV and III stared but didn't interrupt him when he spoke. It was total silence after Kaito stopped talking.

"But I don't talk to them. I don't know why. For some reason, I can't say a thing when I try to talk to them but when I talk to you guys, it just comes, you know?"

A pause then IV answered with; "No but I kinda understand." The teen glanced at the clock. "Oh, it's been that long already?" IV smiled. "We gotta go. You're welcome to come too."

With that, the three left the room. Kaito followed IV and III down the hallway and into a room. The room was quite similar to his but this room had two beds. IV sat down to the one near the window and III sat next to him. Kaito took a seat on the opposite bed

"Hey, IV. Does V still work as a, you know..."

IV stopped shifting in his seat for a more comfortable position. "Yeah, he does. Lately, there hasn't been any need for them but he still goes just in case." IV sighed. "I really don't get it... He told me that he rescued you from that 'accident' but he didn't say anything else. I mean, we worried for awhile but since he wouldn't talk about it anymore, we just... Moved on."

"I understand." Kaito replied, "H-how'd you get your...?" Kaito pointed to his right eye.

"Oh yeah." IV touched the bandage. "It's a long story, really. I was in a building with III and V. We were just there to do a little shopping but then something caught on fire. I don't know what it was but the fire spread quickly. We ran as fast as we could to escape. I don't know if it was either I wasn't running fast enough or I was at the wrong place at the wrong time because I got knocked out by something. I woke up in the ambulance half way to the hospital."

Kaito shifted and stared at the clock. "Ah... I better get going. The others must be worried about me."

"Hey!" IV stood, along with III. "We'll come with you! We'd love to see your friends, right III?"

The younger smiled. "Yeah! It'll be cool to meet new people!"

This time, Kaito lead the other two to his room. It took a while because Kaito doesn't remember where he came from. Finally, they arrived to his room. Everyone was in there sitting and contemplating until Yuma jumped up from his seat.

"Kaito!"

Everyone turned and rushed over to him. Mirai hugged the teen and Kazuma patted him on the shoulder. Nobody noticed the other two until Haruto walked up to them.

"Ne! IV-kun, III-chan! It's been so long!"

"Hey Haruto!" IV ruffled the younger hair. "How's it been?"

"Haruto!" III exclaimed in joy.

That was when everyone faced the other two.

"Oh, um, who are you?" Yuma asked.

Kotori elbowed him. "That's rude, Yuma!"

"OW! I just asked who they were!"

"Hi." IV greeted. "My name is IV. Spelled as I-V not F-O-U-R. This is my younger brother, III, as in I-I-I not T-H-R-E-E. We're Haruto's and Kaito's friends."

Astral finally looked up. "Haruto and Kaito's friends..." He snapped in realization. "Haruto and Kaito are brothers." he concluded.

"Whhhaaaaaaattttt?" Yuma exclaimed. "But they don't look alike!"

Mirai and Kazuma looked at each other and sighed.

"Well, we were going to tell you." Mirai said. "But we wanted to make sure. That was why we weren't here today."

Kazuma smiled. "We were quite confused since they both had the last name Tenjo. Tenjo isn't a popular last name. Not that many people have it. So we had to research if they were the in the same family."

"But Haruto knew Kaito was his brother." Mirai said. "Why didn't tell us?"

The boy giggled. "I thought you knew!"

Kaito ruffled Haruto's hair. He opened his mouth, but instead of silence, he said...

"I'm glad you're safe, Haruto."

No one said a thing.

**There we go. Change of plot and it will now fit in with the summary. I hoped you enjoy and please review. Apologizes for any mistakes.**


	9. Chapter 8, Background

**Well, it's been awhile but summer is finally here! No more exams~ (and if you're wondering, I passed all of them with A's.) I'm off from school for two months so that means more updating! Maybe! I kind of have this... "Bond" with this story and that I actually _want_ to keep writing. I also did a lot of research on cards and the D-Pads/Duel Disks and stuffs. So be proud! Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter! (Plus please look at the bottom author's note for something important, sort of)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! ZeXal**

Chapter 8, Background

Kaito stared at his reflection in the mirror. He was wearing the school uniform for Heartland High. He turned to look at his back. It was such a simple design yet... It wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world. He sat down on his bed in the Tsukumo house hold. He didn't feel like a Tsukumo, he didn't feel like he fit in.

The weekend passed by quickly. It was all a blur, now that he thought about it. What happened in the hospital again? How did he get out? What about III and IV?

…

_Not a word was uttered. It was so silent that you could hear a paper clip fall on the bed sheets. Yes, it was that quiet. The doctor cleared his throat and caught the attention of most of the people there._

"_Since we now know that Kaito's disease is not curable at the moment and we know it's not contagious, he may be released from the hospital, if that is alright with you, Mr. and Mrs. Tsukumo."_

_Mirai nodded to Kazuma and he nodded back. "That'll be alright, Dr. Heartland."_

_IV placed a hand on his shoulder. "Looks like it's time to depart, Kaito. We should keep in touch!" The teen walked around towards a table, grabbed a small piece of scrap paper, grabbed a pen and headed back. He scribbled something on it and handed it to Kaito. "These are our numbers. The top one is V's and that one's mine. III doesn't have one yet but when he does, we'll let you know."_

_Kaito took the paper and nodded. IV stared for a moment or two and smiled. He understood that Kaito couldn't talk. III walked up and cheerfully said good-bye to Kaito, who in return ruffled his hair. The brothers bid their farewells and left the room._

_No one said a thing until Yuma, of course, spoke. "Since Kaito is coming home with us, can he come to school with us on Monday?"_

_The parents looked at each other. "We'll see." They said. "We'll see."_

…

Now he remembered. That's what happened on Saturday, they left the hospital. On Sunday, Mr. and Mrs. Tsukumo went to go buy his school supplies since they decided to let him go to school today. He looked at his bag.

Inside the bag was a D-Pad, a notebook, a pencil case with pencils and a booklet on whatever he missed in the school year. His D-Pad was different than Yuma's. It didn't have a "touch screen" part to it so his "parents" bought him a separate one. The separate one was just to learn at school and could attach to his belt if needed. His D-Pad was quite unusual since when it turns into a duel disk, it resembles a crescent moon.

Kaito remembered when Yuma and Astral showed him their duel disk before Mr. and Mrs. Tsukumo came home from their shopping.

…

"_Hey, Kaito!" _

_The said teen turned to find Yuma running up to him. He was holding a rectangular item that was red. Astral was behind him followed by Haruto. Haruto didn't carry anything but Astral did. He carried something similar to Yuma but was in a strange shade of blue and more curved._

"_We want to show you this before we go to school, you know? These are called D-Pads." Yuma let Kaito hold his. "We use these to learn in school. It's like a notebook or textbook that you carry around but in a small device, see?" Yuma demonstrated by touching the screen with his finger and moved things around on it. "Here's some stuff that we learned in school this year. It could also access the internet and all that. Plus, you can use a stylus. _

"_Another part to the D-Pad is that it acts like a Duel Disk." Yuma took the D-pad and put it on his left arm. "You put it on like so..." The D-Pad suddenly popped out the card zones. "This is my Duel Disk. Show him yours, Astral."_

_Astral showed Kaito his D-Pad then put it on his left arm. Astral's Duel Disk looked much different than Yuma's. It had an unusual shape and the weird part was that it had no card zones. Astral explained that it was a unique Duel Disk that was popular at the time but not that many people bought it because of no card slots. _

"_Then you have a deck to duel!" Yuma said, sounding more excited than before. He pointed at a little box on his belt. "This is where I hold my deck and this one," He pointed to the little box behind it. "This is my extra deck and this is the graveyard holder. Astral has one too." After a pause, Yuma reached into his pocket and took out a shiny object. _

"_These are called D-Gazers. They allow the duelist to link to the duel and see it through an augmented reality setting. It helps because it links us to the duel that we are in and doesn't show the other duelist's duels. You can wear it to watch other people's duel even when you aren't dueling. You know, kind of like a spectator?_

"_D-Gazers are also used for communication purposes. We can call people with this. We can also see each other through calling, you know. For example..." Yuma entered a series of numbers and letters. He waited and there was a beeping noise in the room. Astral took out his D-Gazer and showed it to Kaito. Through the D-Gazer they saw Yuma's face. "See?"_

_Kaito was amazed about the technology of the works of the D-Pads and D-Gazers. It was quite amazing to him. He wondered which one he would get and what designs it would hold._

…

He fiddled with his D-Gazer. It was quite different than Yuma's and Astral's. The frame was a deep shade of blue with a spiked design and the lens was a scarlet red to magenta shade. It scrolled around on his contacts list. There was Yuma, Astral, Mr. and Mrs. Tsukumo, Haru, IV, V, Akari, Kotori and Tetsuo.

Then he remembered when his adoptive parents came home and told him why... Told him why he was there. Told him why they adopted everyone else. Explained and answered some of his questions that he had. But maybe... It left him with more questions than answers.

…

_Kaito was looking at his new deck with Haruto, alone in the living room. It was quite a beginner deck but he liked what was in it. He stared at the monster cards and examined the traps and spells. Mr. and Mrs. Tsukumo told him that it was a _Photon _deck. They told him that it was quite rare to have a Photon starter deck. They said that they were lucky to ever find a deck like this in the dueling center._

"_Photon Circle... Photon Delta Wing..." He would whisper to himself the monster's names. He would then turn his head towards the right where his spell cards are. "Photon Spear... Photon Wind..." _

_The two brothers didn't notice that their adoptive parents were watching. The parents stared as the two children bonded quickly. Cards were passed back and forth and silent whispers where exchanged. Kaito still didn't talk to anyone else but he did make small comments to Haruto. It was as if Haruto was the one he could trust. _

"_Kaito..."_

_Said teen turned and faced Mirai and Kazuma. Their face had smiles but he knew that they were about to tell him something important. He stared and didn't move. Haruto was sitting quietly also, looking back and forth between the three._

"_We... We need to talk to you, Kaito."_

_At first, he didn't move. He hesitated but then nodded. He and Haruto quickly shuffled the deck and put it back in it's pouch. He attached it to his belt, ruffled Haruto's hair and walked towards the man and woman. Haruto's gaze held onto the three until they disappear. He smiled and skipped upstairs to where Astral was connecting wires for the robot._

_The man, woman and teen entered a room. It looked like a study, to Kaito at least. Kazuma gestured for Kaito to sit and he obeyed. Mirai and Kazuma sat across from him and there was silence. They stared at one another until Mirai sighed._

"_Kaito..." She started. "We know it's been only a couple of days since you've been here but we thought you should know."_

"_We usually tell our adoptive children this later. However, since we heard about the new information of your... Ahem, disease, ahem..."_

"_We decided to tell you now."_

_The teen stared for a moment... Then a sudden rush of questions flowed his mind. What was this about? What were they going to tell him? How important was it? What did the others know but he didn't? He wanted ask. He wanted to talk. But every time he tried, it would always get stuck in his throat and he would make no noise._

"_Kaito." Mirai put a hand on his shoulder. "Kaito, are you alright?"_

_He looked up at her. He didn't realize that he closed his eyes and was shaking slightly. He looked down and nodded. Mirai and Kazuma wasn't convinced but they shrugged it off._

"_Well." Kazuma cleared his throat. "We wanted to tell you the reason why we adopted you. Tell you why we adopted Astral and Haruto." He looked at Kaito with a serious expression. "Have you noticed that all of you have... A mysterious past? You and Haruto share the same past. Your parents were murdered, Haruto doesn't remember what happened but he remembers you, you can't remember a thing and you have this disease. Astral got rescued by an abusive family, like we said at the very beginning. We briefly mentioned his mental illness..._

"_The illness is actually quite... Horrifying. It makes the person who has it go crazy and possibly murderous. Astral had an accident once when we was at the mental hospital. Believe it or not, he attacked a nurse who was about to give him his daily medication. She described his behavior by saying that he was laughing like a maniac. His golden eyes made him look like a demon, especially when he had a pair of scissors in his hands. Nothing life threatening happened but they locked him up in a room for a couple days. _

"_Some how, he started healing. He wasn't that bad after a couple weeks and the nurse was still happy to help him out. Astral, of course, revealed very little emotion.. This was also caused by the illness. Before, he did have a couple mental breakdowns. He would stop what he was doing and just fall to his knees and burst into tears. That only happened once when he arrived here. Since then, we was super calm. We think it was because he realized that he had people like a family here to help him out if he needed."_

_Kaito blinked. He was slightly interested in the topic but it wasn't related. Knowing Astral's background information was not related to why they adopted them, was it?_

_Kazuma stopped talking and Mirai took his place. "So we took in Astral with the same reason we adopted you and Haruto. We think it's linked."_

Linked?_ Kaito thought. _What was linked?

"_You, Astral, Haruto." She paused. "And possibly even Yuma. We think it's all related."_

_Kaito was at the edge of his seat, listening. He was in suspense and he wanted to know. What was related? What's going on? Was something wrong? _

"_Numbers."_

_Wait... What? Did he hear correctly?_

"_We think that you and them. You guys might be related to the Numbers." _

_Numbers? Like one, two, three? How was he and the others like numbers? If anything, he thinks that III, IV and V are more related to numbers than him. Their names were numbers and were spelled in a roman numeral style._

_She stopped and looked at Kazuma. He nodded so she continued. "Numbers are these monster cards but they aren't normal monster cards. They are very mysterious that we believed to have come from a different world from ours."_

Oh... So that's what she meant..._ Kaito thought._

"_However, we don't know much about it. We need more research and more information but we think it's all linked, somehow."_

_Kaito didn't know what to think. Did they adopt him and Astral and Haruto to use them for their own use? Did they adopt him so he could gather information for them? Did they...? He couldn't bare to think about it. He was afraid of the answer but he wanted to know. Too bad he couldn't talk._

"_Kaito, please..."_

_Again, he didn't realize what he was doing. His eyes were wide and he was leaning further and further into his seat. His hands clenched at the end of the seat, his knuckles turning white. He stared at his "foster parents," not wanting to believe what he was thinking. _

"_Kaito..." Mirai's soft voice made him relax, just a little. "Please don't take this in a bad way. We really do love you as our own. We don't want you to think that we are using you for anything bad. We promise that we won't do anything bad to you but... We just need you to stay calm and go on in life as if you heard nothing. Keep it in mind, however, because we might talk about this again. _

"_Please don't be mad, Kaito."_

_He stared. He wasn't mad. He was just... Confused. He nodded nonetheless. Of course he couldn't stay mad, he couldn't be mad. After all, they did adopt him and went through all the trouble to fill out all kinds of paper work. They did promise..._

_They smiled down at him and embraced him. He just sat there and took in the warmth. He didn't hug back, he didn't show any affection, but he closed his eyes and took it all in. It was real. It was all real._

...

A knock on the door snapped him out of his thoughts. Sudden sounds made him flinch ever since he had those memories. It scared him quite a bit but that was alright. He knew he would get used to them soon.

Haruto's head peaked into the room. "Ne, Nii-san. It's almost time to go."

Kaito nodded and Haruto disappeared from the doorway. The teen picked up his bag and left the room.

… **That was... Interesting. This was kind of like a filler chapter with a couple important stuff here and there. I'm kind of changing the plot from what I had in mind but the summery still (sort of) fits! Also, special thanks to Kissara for the great idea! Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter and please review! Apologizes for any mistakes!**

**So here's the important stuffs. I actually don't know if Kaito, Yuma and Astral should be in the same grade or not. Maybe Astral is older by a year? Yuma is in first year? Astral is in second year or first? Kaito should be...? First? Second? Third? That's why I didn't put the uniform color in this chapter since I don't know which to make who. Thank you in advance!**


	10. Chapter 9, School Starts

**Wow. This chapter came out quite... Fast. For the past couple days, I started the chapter then deleted it. The I tried again but also deleted that one. I did that a couple times until I gave up altogether and blamed it on Writer's Block. Then, I came back to it today. I sat down and wrote and wrote and wrote and wrote and wrote until the chapter was finished. I'm also very please with the results. Anyways, enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! ZeXal**

Chapter 9, School Starts

"You're a third year, Kaito." Astral explained as they crossed the street to get to school. "That's why you're wearing a blue uniform. Mine's green because I'm in the second year and Yuma's in first year so he wears red." Astral turned his head slightly towards Kaito. "Haruto isn't in this school since he's still too young so he's in another school." The teen pointed ahead. "See that large building? That's where we go." His finger glided to a slightly smaller building near it. "That's where Haruto goes. It's Heartland Elementary."

Kaito looked back and forth between the schools. He estimated that they were about a kilometer apart*. He looked down at the young boy holding his hand. Haruto's uniform was different than theirs. It was a dark shade of blue shirt (with a collar) and dark pants. He gaze up at Heartland High again. It was large and he was afraid that he might not fit in because of his "disability."

After dropping Haruto off at his school, they walked to their school. As they entered, Kaito took in his surroundings. They were still outside but there was a large plain area in the middle. Around the area was the building. It almost looked like a football stadium**. He looked around to see other students from various grade levels.

"This is the central field." Yuma said happily. "This is a great way to relax and duel when we have break. Students usually come here early before school to come and hang out. Sometimes they stay after to use the huge library or stay here to just spend some time together." He stopped and waved. "Hey look! It's Kotori and the others!"

Kaito turned to see five figures heading towards them. He recognized Kotori and Tetsuo but the other three were unfamiliar to him. One was a girl that resembled a cat with the first year female uniform like Kotori. She had gray hair that had two cat ear like shapes at the top. Her green eyes were framed with thick, black, rectangular glasses. The other two were male. One had blue hair with a curl on top and wore a red uniform. The other was short with short brown hair that is curled at the sides and also had a red uniform on. He had circular green glasses and a blue hat with a star on it.

"Yuma~!" purred the cat girl. She pounced and landed really close to Yuma's shoulder with Kotori near by with a slightly jealous look.

"Good morning, Yuma and Astral ura." The short boy said.

The blue haired boy was about to greet the two when he saw Kaito. He stopped short and stared. Kaito noticed and looked back.

"Um, not to be rude or anything, but who are you?"

The energetic first year turned and smiled. "This is Kaito! Remember when I told you guys that my parents were adopting another person into our family? Yup!" He looked over to Kaito. "Kite, you remember Kotori and Tetsuo, right? Well, this is Cathy, also known as Cat-chan," he gestured to the cat girl and she meowed. "that's Takashi, a class representative," he pointed to the blue haired male. "and that's Tokunosuke." He nodded at the short boy.

"Nice to meet you, Kaito." Takashi put his hand out to shake.

The teen took it but didn't say a word. The same goes for Tokunosuke and Cathy. The three stared but didn't say a thing. It wasn't that long until Kotori and Tetsuo pulled the three away to head to class, explaining as they went. Yuma went with them so it was only Astral and Kaito.

"Here." Astral said and started walking. "We have time before the ten minute bell rings. Let me show you around."

Astral explained about the central field and a little bit about dueling. Then he lead him inside and showed him around the school. The gym, the cafeteria, various classrooms and so on. When they were walking down the hallway to go to the office to get Kaito's schedule, Astral stopped when they were in sight of another person.

The teen before them had dark purple hair that hung down like tentacles. He wore a green uniform like Astral. He walked up to them and looked over at Kaito. They stared and stared.

'Who's this?"

Astral stared blankly at the teen. "This is Kaito." He turned to Kaito. "This is Ryoga, a..." He glanced at the teen for a split second. "_friend_ of Yuma and mine. He's also known as Shark."

Ryoga stared at Kaito for a little longer. He nodded and walked away with a simple; "See you in class." to Astral.

As Astral continued to lead him towards the office, Kaito kept Ryoga in the back of his head. There was something about him that made him feel different. He didn't know if it was a good different or a bad different.

They entered the office and walked up to a woman. Astral did all the talking so Kaito just stood to the side and looked around. The office wasn't too big but it had a little path near the back that leads to larger rooms. His eyes glanced at door to the left side of the room. On the door had silver letters on it that said; "PRINCIBLE." There was a small window that was on the door but from his angle, it only showed a part of the wall.

The two left the classroom and Astral gave Kaito his D-Pad back. Astral pulled up two icons and tapped one of them. "This is your schedule." Astral explained. "Your first class is your homeroom class." He tapped on the other icon. "This is a map of the school and it shows you where you are. The great thing about this is that the yellow dot it you and the blue dot is where your destination is. Since your schedule is built into this, it will show you were to go."

They both made their way towards a classroom. "Since you're new here, you stay out here before class but it's still early. Nobody is in the classroom except the teacher so you can go in there and talk to him." Astral stood, thinking for a while. "Here, I'll come in with you."

The two walked through the door and entered the classroom. Astral was right, there was no one in the room except the teacher who was sitting at his desk. The man looked up from his book and smiled. He was a middle-aged man with dark hair and bright eyes.

"May I help you?" His voice was deeper than what Kaito had in mind.

"Excuse me but this is Kaito, your new student." He nodded over to Kaito. "I'm his brother, Astral." He walked over and handed the man a note. "This is a little bit of information that you should know."

The man took the paper and scanned it. His eyes widen for a short moment then he nodded. "So, Kaito, you cannot talk?"

Kaito shook his head. He suddenly felt different. It was as if he was mad or frustrated. In truth, he could talk but something is holding him back. He wanted to tell him straight on; "I can talk. I can speak. Don't treat me any different than everyone else." but he couldn't. He was frustrated. Very frustrated.

"You're the new student that I was told about." The teacher said, changing the topic. "Yes, yes. Well, Mr. Tenjo, or should I say, Mr. Tsukumo..." He scanned the paper once more, glancing up once and a while to look at Kaito. "My name is Watanabe Kiyoyasu***."

Kaito nodded. A bell rang and panic almost filled Kaito until he realized that it was the ten minute bell. Astral bid his farewell and left to go to his class. It was him and the teacher alone. Alone... In a classroom. By themselves. The teen slowly turned and face the teacher.

"Well, you can wait outside until further notice. Students should be piling in now."

The smile on his face vanished and soon changed to a serious expression. Kaito almost jumped at the sudden change and left the room quickly. Astral told him that his first class is his homeroom class. He had to get the mean guy as a homeroom teacher? Great...

He was standing near a water fountain, not too far from the classroom, watching students pour in. He noticed some students' expressions were dread while others were completely the opposite. One girl in particular caught his eye. She was whispering silently to some of her friends but he couldn't quite catch her appearance. He only saw a blur of purple...

The door shut and he slowly stepped over to get closer to the classroom. His back was towards the door but he could hear the teacher talk. Mr. Watanabe sounded strict and his voice boomed in the classroom. Kaito even thought that the walls were shaking because of the man's voice. That was when he heard the cue.

"We have a new student today." Kaito tensed up a bit. "His name is Kaito..." There was a slight pause. Kaito figured that Mr. Watanabe was contemplating whether to call him a Tsukumo or a Tenjo. In the end, he didn't hear a last name. "He has the inability to talk." The teen winced a bit. Now the whole class knew he couldn't talk. "Please come in."

Kaito took a deep breath and step towards the door. He almost flinched when it opened automatically. He should be used to it by then since the hospital doors were always automatic but, in the situation he was in, he completely forgot about it. He took a step forward, not making any eye contact, and somehow made it to the front, a foot away from the teacher.

Whispers filled the room and Kaito could make out a couple of the phrases.

"Man, he's unlucky to get Mr. Watanabe."

"Doesn't he look weird."

"Look at his hair!"

"I think he looks cute."

"Can you imagine not being able to talk?"

Hearing this made something bubble up inside of him. He didn't know what he should feel. Should he feel embarrassed? Frustrated? Mocked? Instead, he kept his face down and removed all emotion from his face.

Mr. Watanabe must have been annoyed by the sudden whispers that he shouted. "EVERYONE, SILENCE."

The room quieted down. Even though Kaito didn't look up, he knew that all eyes were on him. He didn't move from his spot. He didn't want to make a mistake.

"Well, Kaito." Mr. Watanabe cleared his throat. "You would be having that seat in the very back near the window." He gave Kaito a slight push to get him walking.

Kaito walked up to his seat without picking his head up. He turned and sat down in the empty seat. He didn't dare to look up because he knew eyes were still on him. When he did look up, though, was when the teacher called the attention to all the students. He took out his D-Pad and waited patiently for the documents he was going to receive. This class must have been a do-it-yourself class since when students got the documents, they whispered to each other to get answers.

That was when he dared to glance to see who was sitting next to him. His heart started to thump so fast that he was afraid that it might rip out of his chest. The student next to him was the girl that he saw earlier. Her hair was short and dark purple with light purple highlights. She had brown eyes but was slightly covered by her long bangs.

He turned back to his D-Pad, where his documents finished loading. He tapped on the screen to put down the answers. Half of his mind was completely focused on the assignment but the other half was wandering off to other thoughts. He was thinking about the girl right next to him. What was he feeling? It felt different than all of the feelings that he felt that day. Maybe even from his whole life that he actually remembered.

That was then he heard a soft whisper. "Hey, want to work together?"

He turned slightly and noticed that the girl was looking at him, a very smile on her lips. He didn't know what to do so he just kept staring. Her smile soon faded away for a short moment but then she smiled a bit again.

"I know you can't talk but we could still work together." She gave him a warmer smile. "My name is Droite. It's a pleasure to meet you, Kaito."

***Since I live in the United States and this story takes place in Japan, I should use the metric system, correct? Because that's what I did...**

****By football, I don't mean soccer but like those people who wear helmets and tackle each other carrying a... an egg. That's what I call it... **

*****Japanese names is when you put the last name first, correct?**

**So, yeah. I wanted to have a little fun and dropped Droite in here. I love her, okay. She's one of the best characters every created. And I have a question... Since I shoved a "Heartland Elementary" in here and it doesn't exist (yet. I'm not sure), how many years of learning should there be? Also, for "Heartland High School" (since this is apparently "Middle School"), how many years should be there? Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed the chapter and please review! Apologizes if there are any mistakes.**


	11. Chapter 10, What Did I Do?

**I'm sooooo sorry! It's been sooooo long since I last updated and... I don't know! It's halfway through my summer break and I barely wrote anything... I was kinda losing interest in Zexal until I came back to it yesterday... I caught up (three episodes, I think?) and I literally cried when I saw episode 64... I CRIED... YES. I won't say anymore just in case if I spoil it for anyone. Anyways, here you go! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! ZeXal**

Chapter 10, What Did I Do?

_Ring, ring! Ring, ring!_

It was finally break for third year students. Most of the teens piled out of the school and into the central field of the school. Some kids picked a spot and started dueling. Others went to go hang out. While some, like Kaito, sat or stood somewhere to eat something.

Kaito sat on a bench under a shaded tree with his D-Gazer on. He watched duels as he ate his rice ball. He was amazed as monster appeared suddenly in the vision he saw. The spells and traps made quite a show also. He watched as a hawk like monster circled around it's owner's side of the duel area.

He turned his head and saw many other third years dueling. He was amazed about strategies that they threw at each other. Life Points decreasing and increasing, back and forth. He was mesmerized by the actions that he forgot he was holding a rice ball. He slowly lifted the food to his mouth and took a bite. He barely noticed a figure next to him.

"Amazing, huh?"

The teen glanced to the side without turning his head. It was the purple haired girl, Droite. She had a D-Gazer on also. Her's was a nice blue color and the shape resembled a butterfly. It also had a turquoise lens. She gave him a small smile and he nodded.

"So, Kaito, right? Do you know how to duel?"

Kaito shook his head. He turned to Droite. He always wanted to learn how to duel since he first discovered it. It amazed him and he really wanted to see his monsters in action. He wanted to feel the excitement when dueling and feel the rush of pressure when he was about to lose or his tactic failed.

"Do you want to learn? I mean, I can teach you."

He stared at her with slightly widen eyes. To learn how to duel? It would be a dream come true! Without thinking twice, he nodded.

Droite smiled. "You do have a deck right? That's good. Duel Disk and D-Gazer, check." She nodded happily. "Alright! We can start right now, if you like."

Kaito nodded and gave her a very small but happy smile. Droite explained about monsters and their effects. She taught him about different types of spells and traps like; field spells, equip spells, and ritual spells, continuous and counter traps. She talked about combos and different strategies.

They watched a duel from start to finish with Drote explaining what was happening. Then she told him about defense mode and attack mode. She talked about flip summoning and finally she went to XYZ summoning and monsters. She explained that they had ranks not levels. She kept explaining even though the bell rung.

They both headed back inside but Droite kept talking and Kaito patiently listened. He was very interested in dueling and felt like he wanted to try it out himself next time. He looked down at the box on his belt that held his deck.

"Hey Kaito." Kaito looked up at Droite. "Want to talk after school? I mean, if you have the time."

The teen stood and stared at her. Her expression changed a bit and her face was a little pink but it might have been the lighting. He gave her small smile and nodded. He really liked Droite and he considered her to be his very first friend he made here. Kotori and the others didn't really count since they were Yuma's and Astral's friends in the first place. Droite smiled and nodded.

"Well, I guess I'll see you after school then. Wait for me and I'll wait for you."

The two nodded and went to their separate classes. He smiled as he walked down the corridor and towards his next class. Maybe being the new kid wasn't so bad...

…

Kaito left his last period of the day and headed out to the central field. As he saw the doors to the exit, he was suddenly pulled back and slammed against the wall. His mind started to pound as his collided with the solid surface. He opened his eyes that he didn't realize that he had close and saw another pair in front of him.

The person in front of him was a taller and looked a lot stronger than Kaito himself. The other had spiky hair in a green-ish blond color. There were two other teen behind him that looked to be his followers. They all had third year uniforms.

"Huh, so this is the new kid." He slammed Kaito against the wall again and Kaito's head started to pound harder. "He seems pathetic. Weakling... I heard he's pretty smart in his classes."

"Nerd!" his two companions chanted. "Nerd, nerd, nerd!"

The one who was holding Kaito against the wall laughed. His spit landed on Kaito's face and the teen quickly rubbed it off. The teen looked around to find help but he saw no one. His head snapped back to face the bully.

"There's no one here to help you..." The bully's grin scared Kaito just a little but he didn't let fear take him over. The stronger teen laughed and tighten his grip on Kaito's collar.

Kaito gasped by the sudden decrease of oxygen he was getting. It was getting harder to breathe but somehow he didn't struggle. He just stood there, pinned against the wall, with no one there to help. He was hoping that a teacher would walk by and stop what was going on. His mind was slowly fading. He didn't know what was happening but it was easier to breathe again.

He opened his eyes and looked around and found out why. He was in another memory. Now he was filled with panic. He didn't know what he was doing at the very moment, what his body was doing. Did he faint? Did he start struggling? Did he... fight back?

All thoughts were pushed aside when he noticed his surroundings. He was at a strange house. There was a chandelier above him and the room was a bright color. A door bell went off and he quickly turned. There was a dog bark and there was a large dog that went right through him. He mind threw something at him and he remembered the dogs name.

"Toby..." He whispered to himself.

"Toby!" He turned to see a young looking III and IV run after the dog.

Right behind them was...

V.

Kaito stared as V chuckled and walked up to the front door. He opened it and there he was. Kaito stared at his younger self again. He was hand in hand with Haruto, who looked quite shy but was smiling. Behind him was his parents. His gaze slowly drifted back to V, who was talking to the two adults.

His younger self and Haruto entered the house and bid their parents good-bye. Kaito watched as Haruto ran off to where III and IV left and his younger self stood and looked up at V. As V turned his head to face the door to the living room, Kaito stared into V's eyes.

Blue...

Minutes past and the two left to go after the others. Kaito didn't move but just stare at his and V's backs. He looked down and took a seat on the floor. Somehow, he remembered this memory. It was just a day where he and Haruto went over to III's, IV's and V's house. They played with Toby and just hung out...

Kaito's eyes widen. He learned how to duel that day also... He had his own deck... He doesn't remember what type of deck it was but he had his own. And V... V was the fireman. V was the one who warned him about the dangers...

He surprised himself when he felt tears flowing down his cheeks. He doesn't know why he was crying. The tears wouldn't stop and soon he found himself sobbing on the ground. He looked up when a dog pranced along in front of him and stopped suddenly. The dog's eyes turned and stared at him, tongue hanging out. III, IV and Haruto were there when the dog decided to step towards him.

… _Can he see me...?_ He thought. _But that's impossible... Surely he can't..._

Toby stopped just an inch away from him and then he barked. The dog seemed to have smiled. Kaito just sat there and stared. The tears stopped but they were still on his face. As he turned his head away from the dog, he saw himself and V appear from the room.

"Toby?" His younger self said the dog looked up.

The dog looked back and forth, from himself and the younger form of himself. Toby finally pranced back into another room and III and Haruto quickly followed. IV was a little hesitant and looked at young Kaito. He shrugged and they both left to follow the younger boys. V was the only one in the hallway and looked down at Kaito. Kaito stared back and quickly stood.

V's gaze remained at the same spot and Kaito concluded that he couldn't see him. V shrugged and went after the children. Kaito stood and after a couple long moments, he realized his surroundings were darkening. He closed his eyes tightly and quickly wiped the tears away from his face.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself on the ground, leaning against the wall. Bullies seemed to be unconscious on the ground and he wondered what happened. His heart was beating so fast that he thought he might have a heart attack. He touched his face and it felt like he was drenched in sweat.

He sat there, feeling a bit dizzy, and stared. It was until he heard voices when he decided to move. He turned his head and saw Yuma and everyone else. Droite was among them... Most of them wore shocked expressions while Yuma had a huge grin on. Droite just stared at him with unreadable eyes.

"That... Was... AWESOME." Yuma cheered. "No one actually took down those bullies! At least, I never saw anyone who had!" Yuma leaped towards Kaito and jerked him up. "Come on! We should go!"

When Kaito was pulled to the group, he was surprised when he heard himself. "Wh-what happened?" His voice sound hoarse and dry but that didn't matter. "Yuma... What happened? What did I do?"

Everyone was just as surprised as he was. They stared for a long moment, no one saying anything. Droite quickly cleared her throat and looked at Kaito with serious eyes.

"Kaito, you fought the bullies. You beat them up."

**Okay... That was kinda lame but pfffffft... I kinda liked it. Ha ha~ I mean, what else would you expect from me? I'm gonna write another chapter right after I post this so I can make it up to you guys. Please do review and I apologize if there are any mistakes~**

**(Oh! And by the way, for their ages, I mixed it up a bit so I can shove this story plot in... I know that Kaito is five years older than Yuma but I made him drop three years... I know Droite is older than Kaito by one year but... Psssssh, she's the same age now. I might continue that later on in the story [changing characters ages, I mean]... I'll let you guys know!) **


	12. Chapter 11, Back Home

**Oh man. Where do I even start... **

**I'm so, so, so sorry for not updating for almost a whole year! I really do hope you forgive me. I guess it was major writer's block and stuff. I'm gonna try and update as much as I can but that might not be much since I recently got a job and school is being a pain (even though I'm on break). **

**I also lost interest in writing for a long time but now I'm back! I am up to date with Zexal and everything and wow! Barians! I have a few words to say at the bottom so I guess check that out after reading? Anyways, on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal**

Chapter 11, Back Home

The Tsukumo family ate quietly during their dinner, minus Mr. and Mrs. Tsukumo. Kaito stared at his bowl of rice and barely touched his food. He let out a sigh and quickly stood, excusing himself (with a nod) from the table. Haruto watched him, looking worried. As he was about to follow his brother, Astral placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head to stop him.

"So, what exactly happened at school today?" Akari spoke, placing her chopsticks down.

Yuma fumbled with his utensils. "Well... We think that Kaito was going through another flashback and his body started controlling itself." The young teen frowned. "I mean, I can believe if Kaito could take down one bully but three all at once? It was pretty cool to watch but now that I think about it... It is kind of strange."

…

Yuma and his friends were waiting in the central field, chatting about school and what to do after. Astral and Ryoga exited the school, planning to meet sometime in the future to work on their projects. The blue haired looked over to the group.

"Kaito is not here yet?"

The energetic teen shook his head. "We're waiting for him, right?" When he received a nod, he grinned. "I hope he enjoyed his first day here. I bet he already made lots of friends!"

"With his disability, I slightly doubt that."

"Don't be so negative, Astral!"

Kotori watched the two brothers argue and giggled. Ryoga sighed and swung his bag over his shoulders. He turned away from the group and started walking.

"I gotta go. See you tomorrow."

"Alright." Astral replied.

The group sat under a tree and continued their conversation. Minutes passed and there was still no sight of Kaito. Yuma suggested that Kaito was staying after school with a teacher. It was reasonable. However, wouldn't Kaito have let them know?

Astral turned his head and saw a girl waiting near the entrance. She had a third year uniform on. The blue haired teen stood and made his way towards her.

"Excuse me." He started. She turned to face him. "You're a third year, correct? Do you know a person named Kaito, by any chance?"

"I do. I'm waiting for him, actually."

"Waiting for him? What for?"

She smiled. "Just to talk." The girl stuck out a hand. "My name is Droite, a friend of Kaito's."

"Astral, his brother." The younger stated simply. _To talk...? Did Kaito even say a word to her?_ "Our other brother and his friends are looking for him. Is he staying after school with a teacher?"

Droite thought for a moment. "Not that I know of, no. He is taking awhile in there."

The blue haired teen nodded and turned to wave over to Yuma and his group to come over. "We should go in." Astral stated as the group arrived. "Since we're all waiting for Kaito either way."

Everyone agreed and piled into the school. Cathy was the first to hear something and lead the group in the direction of the sound. As they turned the corner, they gasped.

Kaito was pinned against the wall by a third year. Two others were behind him, mocking the new student. Yuma was ready to jump in and help his brother. However, the blond snapped his eyes open and swung his leg forward, it making contact with the bully's groan.

Out of pain, the bully let go. The blond grabbed the other's collar kneed him in the stomach before he flipped him over. The two "henchmen" charged at the teen, who ducked at the punches and knock one over. Kaito landed an uppercut on the henchman still standing. He turned himself around in time to have his leg make contact with the first henchman's thigh (the one he knocked over, who stood up when Kaito attacked the other).

Everyone was silent, staring and waiting to see what would happen next. Kaito fell down but he landed in a sitting position, leaning against the wall. Everyone looked at each other and back to the scene before them.

…

"None of the teachers caught us, surprisingly. We fled before we were caught. I'm not sure what happened to the three jerks but I'm glad that Kaito managed to beat them up." Yuma finished and continued his meal.

Akari sighed. "At least, he's okay for now... I guess that's all that matters."

Astral silently continued eating. However, every once in awhile he would glance back to the hallway where Kaito disappeared to. Haruto also looked back a few times, hoping for his brother to return to the table.

…

Kaito stared at the ceiling, thinking about what had happened. He doesn't remember fighting at all. All he remembered was the memory playing through his mind. The blond sighed and turned himself over, burying his face into his pillow.

_Another flashback... That means one step closer to death..._ He thought. _Am I really going to die soon?_

He turned his head and laid there, trying to remember what Dr. Heartland told them. He suddenly felt exhausted and closed his eyes. When he opened them, his room was darker. Kaito sat up and tossed his legs out of bed. Blue-gray eyes shifted over to the window to see the sun setting.

_Knock knock._

The blond turned his head as the door opened. Astral and Haruto entered. The boy ran over to his brother with a concerned expression.

"Nii-san! Are you okay, Nii-san?" Haruto climbed up the bed and sat next to the older. "I heard what happened! Did they hurt you?"

Kaito shook his head and whispered a; "I'm fine," and looked over to Astral.

"Hey, we still have a few hours before lights out. Want to continue working on our robot to get our minds off of things?" The blue haired teen asked.

A smile appeared on Kaito's face, a small one, and nodded. Haruto smiled and took his hand, jumping off the bed. The three left the room and entered another. On the table were bits and bolts but at the center was an almost complete robot.

"Mr. Tsukumo said he would get some extra parts for us when he left on another adventure." Astral explained. "Until then, we can finished attaching the wheels and put together it's head."

The other two nodded and the three got to work. It was a peaceful evening after the troublesome afternoon.

**Ah yes... What a short chapter compared to how much time I left this. I'm sorry... /cries**

**Anyways, I kind of forgot where I was heading with this story so I'm gonna wing it and see where the plot takes me. With that in mind, do you think I should add the Barian characters? They'll be human, of course, but have the same personality and appearance as in the show. **

**Thank you in advance for the feedback and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	13. Chapter 12, A New Day

**Hello everyone! Happy Thanksgiving, here in America!**

**I know. It's been four months but hey- At least it wasn't a year again! Ha ha ha~ I also just recently caught up with the series (because I was about ten episodes behind) and whoa! What's going to happen?**

**Anyways, this isn't a really long chapter but I tried to write something light and easy! I hope you will all enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal**

Chapter 12, A New Day

Kaito nervously took his uniform out of his closet. He was almost afraid to go back to school and come face to face with the bullies again. It was still early, about an hour before he was supposed to leave the house. The blond slowly made his way towards his bed, laying his uniform out, and opening his school bag once again. D-pad, duel disk, D-gazer, deck...

A knock on the door made him look up from his materials. There was silence for a moment before he stood up and reached for the doorknob. Behind it was Haruto.

"Good morning, Nii-san!" The younger boy greeted.

"Ah, good morning, Haruto." He allowed his brother to enter his room. "It's still early... You should get a bit more rest or at least get ready for school."

The pale blue haired boy pouted and climbed onto Kaito's bed. "But Nii-san, you shouldn't be ready this early either." Kaito made a face as Haruto giggled. "See! I woke up because I slept on the edge of my bed last night and I fell on the floor. Why are you up so early, Nii-san?"

The older of the two sat next to the younger and sighed. "I don't know. I just feel anxious, is all. I guess it's because I'm still new to going to school. Even though you and I know that I went in the past, I... Can't remember it..." He paused and glanced down at his school bag.

After another moment of silence, the two heard footsteps and voices. The rest of the house was starting to get ready and move about. They could hear a pair of feet rushing down the stairs and another pair passing by down the hall. Akari's voice could be heard from the lower floor and Haru's downstairs as well.

"Looks like we should go down and help with breakfast." Kaito said as he got up, followed by Haruto.

The siblings exited the room and stepped down the stairs. The eldest of the Tsukumo children, Akari, was already at her desk, fingers flying across the keyboard, typing at the speed of light. Her hair was still a mess and her pajamas still on her body. The brothers knew she heard about a great scoop for the next headline.

Haru was in the kitchen, her usual attire already on. She was taking out ingredients from the refrigerator and out to the counter top. Astral was downstairs as well, setting out the table. He was still in his sleep wear but his hair was perfectly combed up.

"Good morning!" Haruto greeting to everyone. Kaito's voice got stuck in his throat when he tried to speak so he simply waved to everyone.

"Good morning, Haruto, Kaito." Haru smiled as she turned to face them.

Akari didn't seem to pay much attention but she gave a quick nod of the head to indicate that she heard them. Astral greeted them as well with a simple "morning".

"I see that Yuma is not awake yet." Astral received two nods and sighed. "As usual. I always thought that he would get used to waking up early since I keep waking him up but..." He shrugged and flatten the table cloth.

Haruto giggled as he made his way back into the kitchen. Kaito watched him before he turned his head back to Astral. He wanted to help but he didn't know what to do since breakfast was being taken cared of and the table was set.

Astral took notice and walked over to the older. "How about we go and wake up Yuma. He's always sleeping up there. Maybe if you're around when he wakes up, he'll get up early from now on." He sighed and smiled slightly. "A guy can only dream, huh."

As the two made their way upstairs, they already heard movement in the room. The teens glanced at each other before Astral reached to open the door. He pushed it and peered into the room, Kaito right behind him. Yuma turned towards the entrance as he descended from the ladder that connected his room and the attic.

"Oh! Morning, guys!" Yuma smiled and waved. "Hey, I woke up before you could reach the attic, Astral!" He beamed at the golden eyes teen. "Another day of school! Are you guys ready?"

Kaito suddenly felt sick at the thought that he would have to return to the school. He glanced to the side and shrugged. Astral glanced over and noticed the look Kaito was trying to hide.

"Get ready for breakfast. Get changed too." The the blue haired teen told the younger.

Yuma pouted but agreed with it as he headed over to his closet. Astral took Kaito by his arm and pulled him away from the room. After he let go, he looked directly into Kaito's eyes.

"I feel like you are hiding something and I think I know what it is." The blond froze while the other continued. "Are you afraid to go to school, Kaito? Are you afraid to see those bullies again?" When Astral didn't hear or see an answer, the silence was enough to confirm his thoughts. "Don't worry, Kaito. It's a one time thing. They won't mess with you again, I can assure that."

The blond slowly nodded, staring back at the golden orbs. _Thank you, Astral. That means a lot to me._ He tried to say with his eyes. He knew the other understood by the way Astral smiled.

"Let's get breakfast. Yuma should be done now."

As if on cue, the said boy leaped out of his room. "Alright! Time for breakfa- Oh hey! Astral, Kite! You guys are still here?"

"We were about to head downstairs." Astral said and ushered the other two down the steps.

Upon arrival, the delicious scent of Haru's cooking danced in the air and greeted the three. Haruto peeked out from the corner and smiled.

"Breakfast is ready!"

As the four headed towards the table, Haru and Akari greeted them, mainly to Yuma who was the "newest" one to arrive at the table. They sat down, said their thanks and graciousness, and began to eat.

Kaito silently picked at his food and stared at it. He shook his head and began nibbling on his food. Haru's cooking was always amazing and the flavors exploded in his mouth even with such a small bite. However, that morning, he did not have much of an appetite. He stared down at this food for awhile until it was time to leave.

Everyone said their goodbyes and headed out the door. Yuma had a large grin on his face.

"Yes! Let's make the most of today, yeah? Even though yesterday didn't turn out so great, doesn't mean today is going to be the same!"

"Yuma is right." Astral agreed and glanced back towards Kaito. "We should make the most of any day."

Haruto nodded happily.

Kaito was behind Yuma and Astral, Haruto holding his hand. He nodded even though he knew they couldn't see. He should do what they had said. To look forward towards the future. The past was only the past, right? The blond didn't realize it but he had a soft smile on his lips.

**Filler chapter after four months? I know. I'm sorry! Ha ha ha~**

**I keep making empty promises of updating quickly but I will try my best! I am on break but I have no clue how to continue this. I tried all sorts of combinations but hey! Why not let you guys decide? Send a review and tell me what you want to happen next! New characters (from the show that hasn't appeared yet) are also welcomed!**

**Anyways, I hoped you all enjoyed and please leave a review!**


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